Govt has no concern for the common man

The UPA-II government has completed its first year in office. Contrary to expectations, this has indeed been a troublesome year for the government, notwithstanding the fact that this is for the first time in the past two decades of coalition governments at the Centre that the leading party has mo

The UPA-II government has completed its first year in office. Contrary to expectations, this has indeed been a troublesome year for the government, notwithstanding the fact that this is for the first time in the past two decades of coalition governments at the Centre that the leading party has more than 200 seats in the Lok Sabha.

It is only through intimidations over of the use of the CBI and wheeling and dealing that the government has managed to get the Budget and the Finance Bill passed. A similar fate awaits other legislations such as the Women's Reservation and the Civil Nuclear Liability Bills.

There can be no one else but the UPA and its leader, the Congress party, to blame for this apparent lack of sense of direction. Unlike with the UPA-I, the UPA-II began its tenure without a common minimum programme and, therefore, without a blueprint or a roadmap. It is, therefore, not strange that the bulk of the assurances made by the President of India concerning 'her' government's agenda for the first 100 days have not been fulfilled. In the absence of any direction, the government's response can at best be described as 'knee-jerk'.

Such an approach is apparently visible in relation to crucial issues concerning the livelihood of the aam aadmi in whose name the government assumed office. The apparent failure in tackling the relentless rise in the prices of all essential commodities masks the intention of not hurting the interests of trading speculators. This explains the government's stubborn resistance to ban futures/forward trading in essential commodities. This has contributed in a large measure to the continuous price rise while allowing speculators to reap super profits. The much promised Food Security Bill is yet to see the light of the day. Its urgent need can be understood by the fact that nearly four crore Indians have been additionally pushed below the poverty line, according to the NSS this year.

Though there is much euphoria concerning our so-called recovery from the impact of the global recession, the ground realities are disturbing with regard to the government's declared objective of 'inclusive growth'. While the number of US billionaires doubled to 52, whose combined assets equal a fourth of our country's GDP, 77 per cent of our population is surviving on less than Rs 20 a day. This pattern of growth trajectory has only spawned the growth of crony capitalism, which the Prime Minister himself declared on more than one occasion to be completely undesirable for us in India. Thus, on the one hand, we have an IPL India and on the other, an equally fast growing BPL India. We were indeed fortuitous to have our general elections coincide with global recession. This provided the biggest stimulus package with the largest possible direct cash transfer to the people.

Further, the fact that the Left prevented UPA-I from proceeding with reckless financial liberalisation insulated India from the global financial meltdown to a large extent. Instead of learning from this, let alone not crediting the Left, UPA-II is proceeding with a liberalisation agenda that will surely make India more vulnerable to global shocks which continue to burst periodically.

This year has also seen a rapid rise in the levels of Maoist violence. Despite the PM's repeated declarations that Maoist violence constitutes the gravest threat to India's internal security, members of his own Union cabinet in pursuit of petty electoral agendas in West Bengal are patronising these very forces.

In the sphere of foreign policy, the urge to become a strategic junior partner to the US that began with UPA-I continues. The urgency with which the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill is sought to be pushed through is an indication of legislating concessions for US corporate interests. To sum it up, the first year of UPA-II has been one which can best be described as directionless. Such a drift of existence in itself will generate newer problems, which may well lead UPA-II to spend much of its time to survive on the floor of Parliament. Then the tragedy will be that the travails of the aam aadmi are bound to multiply.

- Sitaram Yechury is CPM politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP

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